


Enough

by Byakuao



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: (and a bit of angst), Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 18:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3947728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Byakuao/pseuds/Byakuao
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aomine and Kuroko start dating, but their relationship is a bit more complicated than that. (In which Aomine is clumsy, and Kuroko knows how to get him embarrassed.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Aokuro week 2015 (though I'm a little late). ^^; Hope you enjoy reading~

The streetlamps were already on, and it was getting dark even though it was still quite early in the evening. The two exited the store, both frowning slightly at the rush of cold air that hit them as they stepped outside. Glancing down at the boy beside him, Aomine noticed that the other had started shivering faintly, his hands burying deep within the pockets of his not-so-thick coat.

“You should’ve dressed warmer, Tetsu. It _is_ winter, you know?” Aomine said, adjusting the navy blue scarf around his neck, before putting his glove-covered hands back into his pockets. He felt somewhat overdressed compared to Kuroko, who was now pulling his coat collar up in an (unsuccessful) attempt to cover his mostly exposed neck.

“The weather forecast didn’t say that it’d be this cold,” a blunt reply came from the boy beside him, his words forming small puffs in the air.

"You know how inaccurate the forecasts can be…”

“True. I don’t usually check it. But…” Kuroko tilted his head up to look at Aomine as they walked, “I was just making that the weather was alright today. It wouldn’t be nice to go on a date when it is windy or raining.”

Kuroko’s words reminded him that indeed, they were on a date.

It’d only been around a month since their ‘outings’ had turned into ‘dates’, following the ‘change’ that had occurred in their relationship, after one of their weekly meet-ups at the basketball courts. Aomine could remember it all clearly. The weather hadn’t been nearly as cold as it was today; it was warm enough that he could wear a t-shirt without feeling too chilly. The sun was peeking through some grey clouds in the sky and there’d been a cool breeze on the courts.

They had been sitting on the bench after Aomine tried to teach Tetsu some new skills, and played a few one on one games with him, and even though some may argue that they were unequally matched, it was enjoyable to them both. Kuroko had been sitting close to him, close enough that sweat-covered skin brushed against his every time one of them shifted, close enough to feel the heat radiating from him and close enough to hear his soft breaths…

During all the moments like those, when Kuroko was the only thing occupying his thoughts, Aomine had thought about finally asking Kuroko if he'd be interested in pursuing something more than just a platonic friendship with him. It wasn’t that their friendship wasn’t enough for Aomine; the way their relationship had changed over the past few months, from hardly talking for so many years, to meeting up regularly, was more, and better, than Aomine could’ve ever imagined.

When they in junior high, the two of them did actually have something more than friendship, but it wasn’t the most ideal of relationships. They might've kissed, touched each other here and there, but they'd been immature, unsure of how to deal with their feelings. And when things turned sour between the members of the basketball team, so did Aomine and Kuroko’s bond. Whatever they'd had between them, it had been lost, without closure, when they parted ways.

Now, so many years later, Aomine was thinking that maybe, they’d found it again. He had tried to re-establish the bond that he'd shared with Kuroko at Teiko, and he knew that it wouldn't heal back to what it was before, but that… that was okay.

He just hoped that their friendship had healed enough for Kuroko to want to have another go at being in a relationship with him.

Staring across the empty court, his gaze deliberately away from Kuroko, the words started forming on his tongue and there was a tightening feeling in his chest, all too familiar to Aomine, for he’d been through this too many times to count. He’d never let the words form completely though. Today, however, he didn’t stop. He ignored the unpleasant feeling of his hammering heart, and before he knew it, the question was out in the open.

"Hey Tetsu. Will you… go out with me?" 

It wasn’t the best way of putting things, but it was one of the simpler ways to ask what he wanted to ask, in Aomine’s mind. He forced himself to close his mouth after that, because if he didn't, it was fairly likely that he’d go on to stutter while talking about his feelings, or say something unnecessary that would be more appropriate for a different occasion.

"… But we're already outside, Aomine-kun, so perhaps you should clarify," that was Kuroko's deadpanned reply, although there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Of course Kuroko would say something like that. It calmed Aomine's nerves, just a little, being reminded of this side of Kuroko; the mischievous side, which was one of many things he found endearing about his former partner, in a way only Aomine would.

"Not that kind of going out… but like, you know," he took a glance at Tetsu, who was looking at him expectantly. "Dating. Like what we had at Teiko, but different. Do you think you’d want that?" Aomine sounded so unsure, because he just didn't know. Things could go either way; he'd prepared himself for both rejection and acceptance. Or he liked to think that he had.

"Is that what Aomine-kun wants?"

"Of course I want to date you. I don't see why anyone wouldn't want that with you, honestly—"

"Then, yes."

Aomine stopped in the middle of what would have been a long sentence about how amazing Kuroko was. And maybe that was a good thing, because who knew what sorts of random things he'd talk about.

There was an initial shock with Kuroko's reply, but Aomine felt all the tension leave his body immediately after. Slowly letting out a breath, he leaned back onto his hands, tilting his head towards the sky.

"… Yeah? You want to? Even though…" _Even though I've treated you like shit? Even though it's been so long, and I don't know whether this will work anymore? Even though_ —

"Yes, Aomine-kun," his gaze rested on Kuroko, and the small smile on his face had said it all, answering all the questions Aomine wanted to ask. "I'd like that very much."

Kuroko's reply meant that he hadn’t given up on him, on them, that he was willing to give this another chance even though it would not be easy, and most importantly, that the way he felt about Aomine had not changed.

And so, Aomine had asked him if he'd like to hang out with him, to spend some time together off the court for once. Kuroko had agreed, and since then their basketball sessions had become something different.

But, not that different. Instead of spending time playing basketball, sometimes they'd go out to eat, go shopping to buy certain things that they'd need, go to the arcade…

It was nice, being reminded of how much he enjoyed Kuroko's company. However, they were dating, weren't they? And people who were dating were meant to kiss, or hold hands or something like that, and they hadn't even hugged yet.

But he was lost. He didn’t know how to move on from the stagnancy they were currently in. Mostly, he didn't really have the guts to just grab his hand, or lean down for the most innocent of kisses. Showing affection wasn't one of his strengths at all. Aomine didn't know how it was all meant to work, because the best he knew was from what he and Kuroko had gone through at Teiko. Another part, was that this was enough. He didn't have to kiss Kuroko to make himself happy, because he was already satisfied with what they had right now. But that didn't mean he didn't _want_ to because he really, really did.

Aomine had thought about it… a lot. Too much, maybe. How it felt to have Tetsu in his arms, how Tetsu’s hand might fit into his, how soft Tetsu’s lips might be, how soft his hair was, especially the short strands near the nape of his neck. Because, unfortunately, he'd forgotten it all.

A small sneeze from Kuroko pulled him out of his thoughts, back into reality.

Oh right, Tetsu had been shivering, and he was almost freezing beside Aomine, who was too comfortably warm. Well, that was no good. Aomine started taking off the dark blue scarf from around his neck, and braced himself for the cold that would hit his skin. “Hey, stop for a bit.”

Kuroko did just that, and looked up at Aomine, his eyes widening as they passed over the material in the dark-haired male’s hands. “Aomine-kun, you don’t have to—”

“Tetsu,” Aomine interrupted before Kuroko could say any more, “I’m perfectly warm while you…” Aomine made a vague gesture at Kuroko’s entire body, before sighing softly. “Your neck’s completely exposed to the cold, and you’re gonna get sick if you leave it like that.”

Before Kuroko could protest again, he quickly stepped forward and started wrapping the scarf around Kuroko’s bare neck carefully. His fingertips brushed against the skin of the other’s neck, and how he wished that he wasn’t wearing gloves.

“You’re being uncharacteristically nice today,” Kuroko said softly, as Aomine pulled on the two ends of the scarf, taking care to make sure it wasn’t too tight or too loose. The dark blue material looked good on him, he thought absently.

“Tch, you make it sound like I’m usually an asshole." Well, he kind of was, really. (But he tried his best not to be when he was with Tetsu.) He dropped his arms to his sides again, but didn’t move from his position in front of Kuroko. “Well, I mean, we’re on a date after all, so I’m trying to be…” Aomine averted his eyes and stared at a loose thread hanging off the scarf as the faintest colour of pink rose on his cheeks, “A good boyfriend… or something like that,” he mumbled, unable to look Kuroko in the eye.

Then it sunk in. Boyfriend? Did he just say— Aomine froze, eyes widening as he stared at anything but Kuroko. _Too soon?_ He asked himself. _Too soon._ He replied (to himself). They were meant to be dating, but perhaps ‘best friend’ or ‘kind-of-boyfriends-but-not-really-because-I-don’t-know-what-we-are’ was the more appropriate term to use here. The silence following Aomine’s words wasn’t helping, as more and more doubt gathered in his head each long, passing second.

“Aomine-kun.”

A pair of cold hands rested on his cheeks and his head was slowly pulled down, making him hunch over.

“You’re thinking too much." The position he was in meant that there was no way he couldn’t look directly at Kuroko. Their eyes met, and _shit_ , their faces were so, so close and their lips were just a few inches apart. But, it was Kuroko's expression that made his breath catch in his throat. He was wearing one of those rare, genuine smiles that Aomine hadn't seen in years. Since Teiko. Sure, he'd seen the smiles exchanged with the Seirin team, with Kagami during basketball matches, but this… this was different. It made his features softer, his eyes brighter, and Aomine just couldn't stop staring. How _could_ he stop staring, when Kuroko was looking at him like that, with such _fondness,_ and _affection…_

And then the moment ended, much too soon, when Kuroko dropped his hands from Aomine's face, and rested them on the scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Thank you for the scarf. And you don’t have to try to be a good boyfriend, Aomine-kun. You’re fine the way you are. Being able to spend time with you like this, it’s already enough.”

His smile still hadn't left his lips, but he broke eye contact with Aomine, and was about to continue walking. _As if nothing had happened._ Aomine wasn't just going to leave it at that, not after he'd pulled Aomine down as if he were going to kiss him, stared at him with an expression that was too gentle for Aomine to get his head around, while smiling like at him like _that_ , and then saying those words to top it all off.

He didn’t have to try? No, he didn’t have to. But he _wanted_ to. Aomine wanted to show Kuroko how much he cared about him, how much he’d missed him, how much he loved him, how _special_ he was to him.

And maybe, one way he could do that was to hold his hand, or kiss him. And there hadn't been a moment where Aomine had wanted to kiss Kuroko as much as he did now.

Kuroko said that simply spending time with Aomine was already enough _._ And Aomine understood his words completely, because he felt the same. However, just because something was enough didn’t mean he couldn’t make things even better, right?   

Reaching out, he grabbed Kuroko's wrist, preventing him from taking a step forward. With a surge of courage and affection, he leaned down, eyes half-closed, and in hindsight, perhaps he should have kept his eyes open for a little longer, because he met Kuroko’s lips off-center, catching only a small corner of his mouth, and to make it worse, his nose bumped into the other’s cheekbone.

The unpleasant tingling in his nose made him draw back quickly, although their faces were still close. _Shit, now what?_ There was a small sound from Kuroko, and seeing how tightly Kuroko’s lips were pressed together, he realised that the sound was actually a suppressed laugh. Kuroko was trying not to laugh at Aomine’s attempt at a kiss on the lips, and was failing from the looks of it.

“Shut up,” Aomine muttered, and quickly pressed his lips against Kuroko's again to prevent him from saying anything. Instead though, Kuroko couldn't seem to hold his laughter in, and he smiled against Aomine's mouth, before resting a hand on the nape of his neck, guiding him into a proper kiss this time. Their mouths fitted against each other's, and the kiss was tentative, but not without passion; it was all that Aomine had imagined it to be and more (except for the part where he'd missed).

Aomine didn't want to stop kissing Kuroko, not yet, but a few annoyed remarks from people passing by them didn’t exactly allow that. It reminded him that they were in a public place, standing on a sidewalk (the sidewalk was quite wide though so they weren’t exactly blocking people’s path). Finally breaking the kiss, he muttered some apologies to the passers-by, but really, he wasn’t sorry at all.

His cheeks were tinted the lightest shade of pink, due to embarrassment, and from kissing. There was a short silence, as the two regarded each other. "… So, Tetsu. Let's pretend that first kiss didn't happen."

"Why not? I thought it was very Aomine-kun-like, and cute."

Aomine groaned, knowing Kuroko was teasing him. Though he wasn't actually too annoyed after that, since Kuroko had something positive to say about it, even if that something was to be described as 'cute'.

"You should have kissed me before, when you pulled me down. Then we could've avoided my failure." Kuroko was quiet for a few moments longer than Aomine would have liked, and he started to wonder, why was it that Kuroko didn't kiss him? Perhaps it was for the same reason he hadn't, for so many weeks?

"I didn't kiss you then, because like I said, what we have now is enough for me. I don't need to kiss you to prove anything, to you, or to myself." Kuroko stepped a little closer, taking Aomine's hand in his. (Again, it was a shame he was wearing gloves.)

"But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy kissing you, Aomine-kun. Even if you're clumsy, and might need some improvement."

That last part could have been left out, Aomine thought. But Kuroko's words did mirror his own thoughts quite accurately, and it reassured him because Kuroko had the same sort of approach as him.

"Yeah. I understand. It's the same for me," he squeezed Kuroko's hand, smiling a bit. "And that was a one-time failure. It's not happening again."

"If you say so," Kuroko replied, sounding completely unconvinced.

With a small sigh at Kuroko's tone, Aomine started walking slowly, pulling Kuroko along beside him. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m starving.”

“I think I heard your stomach growl while we were kissing,” Kuroko commented, and Aomine turned to look at him in shock, because there was _no_ _way_ that could've happened, right?

"I'm just joking, Aomine-kun," Kuroko paused, and Aomine groaned, because Kuroko had got him once again. "I think my stomach did growl, actually."

Aomine laughed at that as they walked through the rapidly crowding streets, looking for a nice, and preferably cheap place to eat.

Although he and Kuroko had taken another step forward today, there were still things that Aomine hadn’t said and done; he still hadn’t formally apologised to Kuroko for how he'd treated him all those years ago (although he was almost sure that Kuroko had already forgiven him, as he had forgiven Kuroko for leaving), and even though they did kiss today, Aomine wanted to tell Kuroko, properly, that he loved him. He wondered if it’d be hard to say, whether he’d get embarrassed again, or if it’d be easy, if it’d slip out at an unexpected time…

Also, Kuroko was correct, as usual. Aomine did think about things too much sometimes. But more often than not, those things involved Kuroko, and he didn’t mind thinking too much, if it was for him.

 


End file.
